5th Battle Squadron (United Kingdom)

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The British 5th Battle Squadron was a squadron consisting of Battleships. The 5th Battle Squadron was initially part of the Royal Navy's Home Fleet. During World War I the Home Fleet was renamed the Grand Fleet.

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[edit] August 1914

In August 1914, the 5th Battle Squadron was based at Portland, and was comprised of a number of pre-dreadnought battleships. These were [1]:

Following the loss of HMS Bulwark in 1914, HMS Lord Nelson was transferred from the 6th Battle Squadron. With the commissioning of the five fast battleships of the Queen Elizabeth class, the remaining pre-dreadnoughts were sent to the Mediterranean. The Queen Elizabeth was delayed in joining the squadron, instead taking part in the Dardanelles Campaign until May 1915.

[edit] Battle of Jutland

In 1916, the 5th Battle Squadron was temporarily transferred to David Beatty's Battlecruiser Fleet. Command then passed to Rear Admiral Hugh Evan-Thomas. On 31 May that year, four ships of the Squadron served with distinction in the battle of Jutland. These were[2]:

In the clash with the German 1st Scouting Group under Admiral Franz von Hipper, the 5th Battle Squadron "fired with extraordinary rapidity and accuracy" (according to Reinhard Scheer), damaging Lützow and Seydlitz and a number of other German warships.

Three of the Queen Elizabeths received hits from German warships during the engagement, yet they all returned home, though Warspite, whose steering was jammed, was targeted by the German line, taking fifteen hits and coming close to foundering.

After the battle, HMS Queen Elizabeth, which had missed the battle due to being in dock, rejoined the squadron.


[edit] References

  1. ^ Dittmar, F.J & Colledge J.J., British Warships 1914-1919 Ian Allan, London. 1972; ISBN 0-7110-0380-7
  2. ^ Macintyre, Donald. Jutland Evans Brothers Ltd. 1957; ISBN: 0-330-20142-5

[edit] External links